Florida Rep. Ted Yoho (R) has issued a letter to President Trump on behalf of American ranchers and farmers asking him to ban all agriculture or food from Mexican, Latin America.
The letter comes after Florida Senators Rick Scott (R) and Marco Rubio (R) issued a letter to the agriculture department, asking them not to move forward with a recent decision that would allow the importation of five varieties of citrus fruits from China.
In the letter, Yoho expresses that “American farmers and ranchers are facing unprecedented circumstances due to the coronavirus pandemic.”
He added that “the market conditions resulting from the coronavirus are further worsened due to the decreasing farm revenues and testy trade relations with such.”
In response to this, Yoho is asking President Trump to invoke a ‘force majeure,’ which is a motion to stop the importation of all food products from Mexico, Central America and South America “during this pandemic to support our nation’s farmers and ranchers.”
Congressman Yoho specifies that “the halt on food imports should include fresh fruit, vegetable, dairy, and meat products.”
Florida Senators Scott and Rubio also signaled the dangers of importation, adding that “risking the introduction of invasive species and diseases into the U.S. is irresponsible, especially given our knowledge of how citrus greening previously entered our country by imported citrus and is spread by an invasive pest species.”
Yoho concludes that there is a glut of products within our borders, informing that “our farmers are having to plow up their harvest-ready crops because of a market collapse and factors outside of their control.”
As a result, “foreign agricultural products should not continue to be imported” because it “is not sound economic or agricultural policy.”
A significant number of lawmakers have slammed China in light of findings regarding misinformation and mishandling, and Florida Lawmakers continue to ask for stricter restrictions on importations.
